Love is Blind
by Sugar-Coated-Goodbyes
Summary: AU. Nick and Sara are best friends in high school. When Nick finds out her new boyfriend's plans, however, will she listen to him or will she be too blinded by love.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Love is Blind

Author: Sugar Coated Goodbyes

Rating: PG-13

Summary: AU. Sara Sidle and Nick Stokes are best friends. However, when Nick finds out about the plans Sara's new boyfriend has, can he save her before it's too late?

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI.

---

Sixteen-year-old Sara Sidle stared warily out the window of her foster family's '81 Lincoln into the crowd of high school students that had gathered in front of the school's large, stone steps. They were probably talking to their friends about their summer. Sara Sidle envied them. She would not be talking to her friends today. No, today she would be trying to survive her first day in a new school, in a new state.

"You'll do fine." Her foster mother put a comforting arm around Sara's shoulder and she resisted the urge to shrug it off.

Sara did not believe she would do fine. 'You'll change your mind. You'll love Texas.' She had been in Texas for three weeks and she still longed for California. She longed for the days she would sit with her best friend Bridget, talking about everything they could think of. She hated Texas and she doubted that anything would change her mind. Upon hearing the bell ring, Sara shrugged her foster mother's arm off her shoulder. "Bye."

"Bye sweetie. Have a nice day. _Try_ to make new friends."

The emphasis on the last sentence annoyed Sara. She shut the door and tried to walk it off as she made her way to her homeroom. _I don't want to make new friends. I want to go back to California. I want to go back to my old friends. _By the time she got to her homeroom, her mood had not improved. If anything, she was angrier than she was just ten minutes earlier. She sat down at a desk in the back of the room and put her head down. She didn't want to make a bad impression on her first day.

"Hey that's my seat." she looked up to see a petite bottle-blond staring down at her.

"That's funny, I don't see your name on it."

She heard gasps from the class. However, she had no time to ask as the teacher came in the room just at that moment.

"Miss Hughes, please sit down." The teacher said. The girl did so, but not before shooting Sara a glare. After the teacher had finished taking attendance, Sara turned to the girl that sat behind her.

"What was all that about?"

"What do you mean?" the girl asked, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.

"I mean before."

"Oh, you mean with Gretchen Hughes?"

"Yeah, I guess." Sara asked, confused. "Why is everyone so afraid of her? I mean, all I did-"

"Gretchen Hughes is a cheerleader, her dad is one of the school's biggest benefactors. She could commit murder and no one would do anything." There was a hint of bitterness in the girl's voice but Sara didn't push it any further. "I'm Sharon, by the way."

"Sara." She flashed a smile. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad after all.

The bell rang and Sara looked at her schedule. _Biology, room 2._

---

Sara had gotten through the first half of the day without no problems aside from her confrontation with Gretchen Hughes. She still couldn't understand why everyone was so scared of her. She wasn't all that intimidating. She was short, maybe 5'4. And thin. But, she had more important matters at the moment…like where she was going to sit.  
The cafeteria was a crowded room with about twenty tables, with seated four people each. It seemed as though each table had at least on person sitting at it, and nobody she knew. She sighed, maybe a table would become empty by the time she got her lunch. However, she discovered, she was wrong.

As she walked out of the kitchen area, it became apparent that no table was going to empty out. She sighed as she finally found relief in the form of a phone booth.

She sat down on the small stool and placed her lunch in her lap. She took a few bites of salad but she wasn't very hungry. She rested her head against the cool glass. She heard someone knock on the door of the phone booth. _What now?_

"I need to make a phone call." She looked up and saw a cute guy with gorgeous dark eyes staring at her.

"And I need a place to eat." She said with mock sweetness.

"Why don't you sit at a table?"

"Because, Sherlock Holmes, every table is full. I am new, and therefore have no friends."

"Why not sit with me?" he smiled and Sara doubted she had ever seen a sexier smile.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I mean, I need to make a phone call. You need a place to sit. This way, we both get what we need. I'm Nick."

"I'm Sara." She smiled, happy not to have to sit in a phone booth for the rest of the period.

---

"So, what's your next class?" Nick asked Sara as she ate another French fry.

"Honors English."

"Mr. Richards?"

"Yeah."

"Me too. You'll love his class."

"Why's that?" She was intrigued.

"It's really challenging. My sister took it last year, nearly failed the first grading period too. Dad wasn't too happy about that." She looked at him. "Don't worry. The only reason she almost failed was because she didn't finish her summer reading. Did you finish yours?"

"Yeah. I did mine in June."

They began talking about their schoolwork and the period flew by. Sara was disappointed when the bell rang, she was really beginning to like Nick.

---

Please read and review. Can't wait to hear from y'all. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thanks to all who reviewed.Give me your honest opinions for this chapter. Is it good? Needs work? Crap? Tell me what needs fixed. I'm an aspiring writer so I really need y'all to help me.

---

"Hey, Sara, what are you still doing here?" Nick asked as he came down the steps and sat by her on the bench.

"Because, Sherlock, no one came to pick me up."

"Want me to take you home?" he offered.

"Okay."

He walked her to his pickup truck and she climbed into the passenger seat. "Is this your car?"

"No, actually, it's my sister's car. She let me borrow it because she's not allowed to have a car on campus yet."

"It must be nice having siblings." Sara said wistfully.

"Why don't you have any?"

"I had a brother but I don't know where he is anymore." She said sadly. "But, I really don't feel like talking about it."

"Okay, so what do you want to talk about?" Nick said with smile.

"Okay, what kind of music do you like?"

"Country." He thought for a minute. "Actually, I have a tape in here somewhere. So what about you?"

"Hmmm…I like just about everything." She shrugged.

They got so wrapped up in talking that Nick didn't realize that he had driven all the way home without taking Sara home.

"Uh, Nick, you missed a couple turns I think." Sara laughed.

"It's not that funny." Nick began to laugh too.

---

"Nicky, supper's ready." His mother called out.

"Coming mama." Nick looked over at Sara, unsure as to whether or not he should invite her in but then decided it would be rude not to.

"How about you stay for supper?"

"Are you sure?" Sara looked unsure.

"Yeah. My parents would be thrilled."

They walked into the house together. "Mama, I'd like you to meet Sara. She's new to Dallas."

"Well, hello there. Are you staying for supper?"

"Yes." Nick answered for her and Sara looked up at him, annoyed.

"I'd be honored to." Sara answered, smiling.

"My, aren't you polite." Said a voice from the dining room.

"Sara, this is my Dad."

"Hello, Mr. Stokes."

"And this is my sister, Sharon." He gestured to the dark haired girl that was walking up the steps that led down to the cellar.

"We've met." Sharon smiled.

---

Sara looked at the meal before her and tried to eat the large, juicy steak before her with as much enthusiasm as a girl who'd been a vegetarian since she was ten could muster.

"This is really good." She said after she swallowed a mouthful.

"Thanks." Sharon said.

"You cooked it?" Nick asked, with mock-alarm. "And she's still alive to tell about it?"  
"Nicky!" his mother exclaimed.

"Oh don't worry mom. I'll kick his butt this weekend."

"This weekend's the annual Stokes' football game. All of the children are coming. Although, I suppose they're not children anymore, they're all older than you are." His mother sighed as she answered Sara's unspoken question.

"Sounds like fun." Sara smiled, wishing she had a family like Nick's.

"You should drop by if you have the time dear. I'm sure that they'd love to meet Nicky's new girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend."

"We're just friends."

"Well, I'm sure they'd like to meet you just the same."

---


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note; Thanks to all who reviewed. I'm sorry the last chapter was so short and I'm sorry that this one's a little longer. I think I may take my story down to rewrite it.

---

"Hey, Sara, I think we better get you home. You're parents are probably getting worried."

Sara flinched inwardly at the thought of her parents. _Should I set him straight? I mean, I've only known him for a day._ She decided against it. If they stayed friends then she would tell him but, for now, for all she knew, he could just be being nice. He might not even really like her. She decided against this train of thought and decided to start talking.

"So, what are your sisters and brother like?" Sara asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, they're all straight-A students, are the best at everything they do, but they're really insane."

Sara laughed at how serious he sounded at the last sentence. "That's not nice, Nicky."

"No fair, I don't have a nickname for you."

"I'm sure you'll come up with one."

"Well, Nicky, are you going to start the car or are we just going to sit here talking for the next twelve hours?"

_I wouldn't mind._ Nick thought as he started the motor. The ride to Sara's place was pleasant and filled with funny anecdotes about Nick's large family.

Sara couldn't wait to meet his family. They sounded like a wonderful bunch of people.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Sara said as she dug in her book bag. "Here." She wrote her number down on a slip of paper and handed it to him.

---

"Dan, Lisa, I'm home." Sara called from the doorway. "Dan, Lisa, where are you?" _That's odd. Oh well. _She picked up the book that she had been reading and picked up where she left off.

"Dan, she's here." She heard the relief in her foster mother's voice.

"Sara, where have you been, Lisa and I have been worried sick."

"I was at a friend's house." She shrugged. "No one came to pick me up, so I went to Nick's."

"Nick who?"

"Nick Stokes. He's really popular, he's nice, and he offered me a ride home. We got to talking and he wound up driving to his house."

"What did you do there?"

"What do you think we did?"

"I don't know Sara. I honestly don't."

"We ate dinner. I got to meet his family. They're nice people." She was beginning to get angry. "He asked me to go to their football game this Saturday and I'm going."

"Calm down sweetie, we were just worried." Lisa said quietly.

"Well, don't be." Sara spat as she ran up the stairs.

---

"So, Nick, she's pretty isn't she?" his father asked him as they sat down together in the living room.

"Yeah." Nick agreed.

"So, when are you going to ask her out?" Sharon asked, leaning over his shoulder. "I mean, she's obviously into you."

"No she's not. And, even if she was…" _Even if she was, she deserves better. _Nick had only known her for a day, but he knew she was special. She was beautiful, smart, funny in that sarcastic way of hers, but there was also something about her that made Nick's heart skip a beat when he met her.

"Even if she was what?" his mother asked. "Nicky, any girl would be pleased to have someone like you in their life."

"I'm going upstairs." Nick faked a yawn.

"It's only eight o'clock." His sister pointed out.

"Yeah but I was up early."

Nick climbed the steps to his room and flopped down onto his bed. He pulled the covers up over his head and just let his mind wander. He wondered if maybe there was a possibility of Sara ever liking him like that. _Maybe…_He stared at the slip of paper in his hands.

---

"Sara, open the door." Dan said angrily.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm on the phone."

"To who?"

"Bridget."

She heard her foster father sigh. They didn't approve of her being friends with Bridget but Sara adored Bridget, tongue ring and all. Bridget was her best friend and, at least for Sara, best friends didn't come along very easily.

"Come one sweetheart, let us in. Don't shut us out." She heard Lisa as she came up the stairs.

_I don't want to talk to you. I want to talk to Bridget. _"Fine." She got up and unlocked the door. "What?"

"Sara, you've got to stop trying to push us away or-"

"Or you'll what? Send me back like everyone else."

"No. We're not going to give up on you." Lisa answered. With that, Lisa turned to leave.

"Wait." Sara said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right."

Lisa shut the door and the tears that Sara had been holding back came out in a rush.


End file.
